Vehicle Seat Support Bracket Structure for Lower Repair Cost
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle seat supporting devices are costly due to the integral formation of the lower arm with the bracket portion, leading to high repair costs and manufacturing expenses, as the entire lower arm needs to be replaced when the bracket portion deforms or breaks under excessive pressure.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat design featuring a lower rail, upper rail, and lower arm with a detachable bracket that supports the supporting cover from underneath, where the bracket is fastened to the lower arm using a bolt, allowing for the bracket to be replaced independently, reducing repair and manufacturing costs by enabling the lower arm to be used in both vehicles with and without the supporting cover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bracket portion is integrally formed with the lower arm, then the supporting cover is reliably supported, but the repair cost increases when the bracket deforms or breaks
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is divided into a separate component from the lower arm, allowing independent replacement. The bracket includes an upper surface portion and an extending portion that can be detached and replaced without replacing the entire lower arm assembly, thus reducing repair costs while maintaining supporting reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket portion is extracted as a separate replaceable component from the lower arm. This allows the bracket to be removed and replaced independently when damaged, eliminating the need to replace the entire lower arm and reducing repair expenses.
2Device complexity
If the lower arm is integrally formed with the bracket portion, then the structure is simplified, but the manufacturing cost increases for vehicles without supporting cover
Solution Approach 1:
The lower arm is designed as a universal component that can be used in both vehicles with and without the supporting cover. The separate bracket can be attached or removed based on whether the supporting cover is installed, allowing the same lower arm to serve multiple configuration needs and reducing manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is designed to be dynamically attachable and detachable from the lower arm using bolts. This allows the configuration to be changed based on whether the supporting cover is needed, enabling cost-effective manufacturing for different vehicle types while maintaining structural integrity when required.
3Strength
If the bracket is made from thick plate to prevent deformation, then the supporting strength is improved, but the manufacturing cost and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket uses varying plate thicknesses in different regions: the upper surface portion has a first thickness optimized for supporting the covering member, while the extending portion has a second thickness optimized for attachment to the lower arm. This localized quality optimization provides sufficient strength while minimizing unnecessary weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket's thickness parameter is optimized differently in different sections. The upper surface portion uses a first thickness for adequate supporting strength, while the extending portion uses a thinner second thickness since it primarily serves as an attachment interface, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining necessary strength.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat having a supporting device includes a lower rail fixed to a vehicle floor, an upper rail supported by the lower rail so as to be slidable in a front-rear direction, a lower arm fixed to the upper rail, a supporting cover provided at the side of a door so that a passenger gets in/out of the vehicle interior with putting his/her hand on the supporting cover, a bracket for supporting the supporting cover from underneath thereof, an upper surface portion formed in a plate shape at the bracket so as to extend in an approximately horizontal direction, an extending portion formed in a plate shape at the bracket extending downward from the upper surface portion and forming a vertical portion at which the bracket is fastened to the lower arm, and a through hole formed on the upper surface portion of the bracket.